Wapsi Square Forum

Uh.

Yeah.

Patreon Exclusive

If this keeps up, I'm out.

Yes, it's a courtesy that anyone gets to read this webcomic for free, and it's a primary source of income. Even so, no.

So are we down to two comics a week now?

I hope that this does not become a common occurrence. I understand that this is your income, but you will need to strike a balance; locking what used to be readily available content, behind a paywall, is only going to lose people. And yes, those pinups used to be regular content, that people could look at, just as much as the strips. Also, the lowest tier on your Patreon Page is $2, not $1.

This is kinda scary because I've seen this happen as the death spiral of so many webcomics.

Start five days a week.
Miss a day every so often.
Dial back down to M-W-F
Miss more days, late almost every day.
Dial down to M-F, then once a week.
Miss several weeks in a row.
Miss several months in a row.
Check back a few years later, nope, didn't miss any updates since three years ago.

I admit to being frustrated.

Back when Paul originally set up his Patreon arrangement, I signed up with Patreon and scheduled a regular monthly donation.

A couple of years later, Patreon instituted a policy change of some sort that Paul objected to, so he closed his Patreon account and asked people to use an alternative method of contribution. I shut down my Patreon payment (and closed the account) and started making a same-dollar contribution view PayPal. Paul said he'd arrange to give access to his contributor-only materials to PayPal donors, somehow. As far as I can tell, that never happened.

Then, he reconciled with Patreon and re-opened his account there, and only Patreon contributors got to see whatever extra content he posted.

Then, the pandemic hit, and he went entirely offline.

I kept up my monthly PayPal contributions for about six months after that, but with no acknowledgement, no bonus materials being made available, and no real assurance that the strip would ever return, I finally shut it down.

This has been a horrible bad year for everybody, I know, and gripping about pinups is really small potatoes... but the situation does feel rather "off".

And, I'll admit it... as much as I acknowledge Paul's right to take the strip plotting and characterizations in whatever direction he chooses, I really miss the intensity and bootlegger turns and the occasional darkness of the old days. The shock and questioning in the aftermath of Shelly-1's death, Brandi's recounting of what happen when the priests came for her, the debates about just what Justin knew and what he might be... I miss it.

Dave wrote: ↑Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:35 pm And, I'll admit it... as much as I acknowledge Paul's right to take the strip plotting and characterizations in whatever direction he chooses, I really miss the intensity and bootlegger turns and the occasional darkness of the old days. The shock and questioning in the aftermath of Shelly-1's death, Brandi's recounting of what happen when the priests came for her, the debates about just what Justin knew and what he might be... I miss it.

Indeed. And Jin kissing the pistol was a real horror show completely within cannon and well executed with all involved. Now there's a story line!

Paranormal Teenage High School Angst (now with lesbians!) isn't quite doing it for me. He likely has this plotted out well in advance, but I do hope it's going somewhere. Granted, "You are the chosen one -- go save the world!" type plots are hard to do, much less twice. And it's a wide open field for Life on the Other Side of the Fence stories. We'll just have to wait and see. I do wish him well and hope all is well, or at least improving. What little skill I have in drawing is due to his work, and someday I hope I can do as well. Excelsior!

That and Patreon is a nightmare. I supported several artists, but the security around made it too much hassle, especially when I was only trying to give away money, from an already secure source.